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Motorola may have been snubbed in favor of HTC for Google's Nexus One handset, but it is already working on 'Nexus Two', a more business focused Android device. This will be just one of about 20 smartphones to appear from the US vendor during 2010, as it pins its hopes of a turnaround on the high end market and the Google OS.

Motorola has been rumored to be working on a Google branded business phone, and this was confirmed by co-CEO and handset chief Sanjay Jha on the firm's earnings call on Thursday. He said the line-up of a score of new smartphones this year would include "one direct-to-consumer device with Google". The product has of course been nicknamed Nexus Two, but is actually codenamed Shadow, and may be given a new name to differentiate it in the enterprise world (and perhaps dissociate it from the less than storming success of its predecessor).

Like the Nexus One, the new phone will likely have a two-tier distribution strategy, with devices sold via the Google phone store, either unlocked or with a carrier contract and subsidy. It is expected to replicate some of the features of the Android-based Motoroi, recently launched in Korea. It will have a slide-out Qwerty keyboard like the Droid, and presumably a gigahertz processor like Nexus One plus the latest Android OS release, 2.1. Also touted is a large 4.3-inch WVGA capacitive touchscreen with 854 x 480 pixel resolution and 8-megapixel camera with 1080p video capture.

And the original Nexus will soon be available for AT&T's network in the US - currently it only supports T-Mobile USA's 3G bands, so customers who pay $529 for the unlocked device can only use it on a TMo connection or on AT&T's GSM/EDGE networks. AT&T has a far larger 3G coverage than its smaller rival.

Now, according to documents filed with regulator the FCC, a new version of the Nexus One will be announced that will work in AT&T's bands (bands I, II, and V), also used in Canada. A CDMA variant is also expected this spring plus an international launch, at least in Europe.

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